You don't know," he said,
"how it grieves me to see you--a Yale man--act so like a rowdy."

"If fighting for the rights of a much older man, unable to protect his
own interests, is the act of a rowdy, I'm quite willing to be thought
one," was my reply.

Need I add that the attendant did not take Mr. Blank for a walk that
morning? Nor, so far as I know, was the latter ever forced again to
take his exercise against his will.

XVI

The superintendent now realized that I was altogether too energetic a
humanitarian to remain in a ward with so many other patients. My
actions had a demoralizing effect upon them; so I was forthwith
transferred to a private room, one of two situated in a small one-story
annex. These new quarters were rather attractive, not unlike a bachelor
apartment.

As there was no one here with whom I could interfere I got along
without making any disturbance--that is, so long as I had a certain
special attendant, a man suited to my temperament. He who was now
placed over me understood human nature. He never resorted to force if
argument failed to move me; and trifling transgressions, which would
have led to a fight had he behaved like a typical attendant, he either
ignored or privately reported to the doctor. For the whole period of my
intense excitement there were certain persons who could control me, and
certain others whose presence threw me into a state bordering on rage,
and frequently into passions which led to distressing results.

Unfortunately for me, my good attendant soon left the institution to
accept a more attractive business offer. He left without even a
good-bye to me. Nothing proves more conclusively how important to me
would have been his retention than this abrupt leave-taking which the
doctor had evidently ordered, thinking perhaps that the prospect of
such a change would excite me. However, I caused no trouble when the
substitution was made, though I did dislike having placed over me a man
with whom I had previously had misunderstandings. He was about my own
age and it was by no means so easy to take orders from him as it had
been to obey his predecessor, who was considerably older than myself.
Then, too, this younger attendant disliked me because of the many
disagreeable things I had said to him while we were together in a
general ward. He weighed about one hundred and ninety pounds to my one
hundred and thirty, and had evidently been selected to attend me
because of hi